Humming happily to myself as I practically skipped down the hallway, I nearly missed the entrance to the Kitchens. Giddiness had been building in my chest as I realized that all this was real. My dress fluttered beneath me, and despite the unfamiliar environment, I felt more safe and at home than I’d ever felt before.

Is this what happiness feels like?

I wasn’t sure, but whatever this feeling was, I didn’t want it to ever end.

“Master Lukas.”

The low and deep sounding voice broke me out of my reverie, and I quickly whipped around to face the person speaking to me.

He was a tall man, with greying hair and round glasses, and dressed in a smart looking suit and trousers. In his right hand he held a cane, inlaid with gold trimming on brown wood, and the head carved into the likeness of a fox. Immediately my mind knew that He was the Butler. Panic swelled in my chest again at the presence of the intimidating stranger, and the usage of ‘Lukas’.

The butler gave me a scrutinizing look, then sighed and adjusted his glasses again. “Young Master, I must insist that you calm yourself.”

His stern tone and expression wasn’t really helping matters. I felt like prey caught in a predator’s den.

So I did what any prey would do and fled.

Or tried to anyway. He quickly caught me by the arm, and while he wasn’t as strong as Lilia, his firm grip ensured that there was no way I could slip free. Not without assistance anyway. I gathered up ambient mana and coalesced it in my caught hand, looking at the stranger with an intense stare as I released my command phrase.

“Pruina!”

A blast of cold air erupted from my hand, directly into his chest. Just like with the lock however, my spell dissipated on contact with the invisible barrier surrounding his body.

My fear only intensified at his obvious mastery over defensive applications of magic, meaning I had no hope of defeating him without some sort of physical implement.

The butler sighed again, and took a deep breath. Immediately his body seemed to relax, and he gave me a soft smile.

“Young Lady, please calm down. I only wish to speak with you.”

The abrupt change in tone and demeanor was somewhat off-putting, but I obediently took a breath and began to relax as well. After a few breaths, I looked up to him and nodded my head. Silently releasing my hand, I looked down at my feet and shuffled in place.

“S-Sorry about that…”

He shook his head, and adjusted his glasses again. “No, the fault is mine for using your wrong name. I do hope you can forgive me for that error.”

Looking up to him, I gave a slight smile and nodded. “It’s okay, I forgive you. But I would prefer it if you could call me Iris instead.”

He smiled warmly again and nodded his head. “Iris. What a lovely name.” Warmth blossomed in my chest again at his compliment, and I turned away shyly. “And my name is Alder. I have served as the butler of this family for twenty years, and I take the safety of this house and its residents very seriously.”

Nodding my head, I could guess what he wanted to ask me. “I was sent here by the Imperial Court to investigate, but I can assure you that I have no desire to cause any kind of disruption during my stay here.”

Alder gave me a scrutinizing look, which caused me to fidget in place. “I believe you Miss Iris, but you must know it’s more complicated than that. However dismissive of you they may have been, the Imperial Court jealously guards its assets, including wayward mages.”

A dark shadow crossed my thoughts as I considered his words, knowing them to be the truth. Even if I stayed here, it would put everyone in danger, harboring a fugitive from the Court.

“L-Lady Azalea and Lilia are working on a plan to let me stay here and work as a maid.”

The aged butler sighed, rubbing his temple and shaking his head, muttering something under his breath. “...they would do that, wouldn’t they…” He cleared his throat and nodded his head. “If that is my Lady’s wish then I will abide by it. However, do bear in mind that it won’t come without significant risk to the household, including yourself. If you are committed to following this path, then I will do whatever I can to support you.”

He’s testing my resolve, to see if I’ll flake out in the middle of proceedings. It was entirely reasonable of him to question me on this, and truth be told, I hadn’t questioned myself too heavily on it either. I took a moment to collect my thoughts, and then gave a firm nod of my head.

“The last few days I’ve spent in this place have been the best I’ve ever had in my life. If you will have me, I would be delighted to stay here, and do what I can to help support your family.”

His eyes lit up in response to that, a slight smile adorning his expression as he nodded his head. “Good answer. I like your resolve, young lady.”

Giving a slight smile back to him, our conversation was interrupted by my stomach grumbling again. Alder gave a deep, throaty chuckle and shot me another smile. “You must be starving after everything you’ve been through. Come, let’s head into the kitchen and I’ll make you some lunch.”

I flinched at the suggestion and shook my head. “No no, that won’t be necessary I can-”

Alder gave me a stern glare that froze me in place. “After the way I treated you, I insist.”

Another shiver ran down my spine and I lowered my head, meekly answering him. “Y-Yes sir.”

His expression shifted to an approving smile, and he reached a hand out to gently pat me on the head. “Good girl.”

… What? What just happened?

Warm tingles spread from where he touched my head, and I realized I was standing there with my mouth hanging open and my cheeks flushed red. “Uhm.. uh… th-thank you… Mister, Alder… sir…”

He chuckled to himself again, and shook his head. “Lilia was right, you’re not even close to being a threat.”

My face twisted up into a scowl, and I looked away from him, grumpily. “I can be plenty threatening!”

He nodded his head, face still turned up in a knowing smirk. “I know you Can be, Iris. In fact I hope I’ll be able to help you grow your magic.”

I felt my ears perk up in response to that and I looked back up to him. “What do you mean?”

Alder shifted his glasses with his gloved hands again and turned towards the kitchen door. “Why don’t we have lunch together, and we can talk about your potential future here?”

Weakness was spreading throughout my body as I realized I direly needed some food.

“Yes please. And… Thank you again Alder.” Taking the hems of my skirt, I once again gave him a polite curtsy, in a gesture that was becoming as familiar as it was enjoyable for me.

He smiled and nodded. “Good intentions, but your form could use a little work. I’m sure Lilia and I can help you out with that. Now tell me, do you have any food allergies I should be aware of?”

The door opened and we both took a step into the spacious kitchen, the question catching me off guard, as no cooks had ever bothered to ask me that before. “I have a hard time digesting milk…”

                                                                                                                       *

After about a half hour, we were sitting in the mansion's courtyard, under a lovely gazebo, and sharing cucumber sandwiches and tea. The meal was simple, but in truth it was one of the best I'd ever had. The company didn't hurt at all. Alder was a lovely conversation partner, even if we'd only broached the topics of the food and the weather so far.

"More tea for you, Miss Iris?"

I nodded my head eagerly. "Yes please!" Smiling as he poured me another cup, I took a long sniff of it before consumption. The tea was an invigorating black variety with perfectly prepared leaves, but it had a whiff of apple and cinnamon aroma to it as well. One sip later and my senses lit up with a sensation of warmth, earthiness, and comfort. It was like drinking an apple pie. "Your tea is fantastic."

The old butler gave a big smile and took a sip of his own cup. "I'm glad you think so. I take pride in my ability to prepare a perfect cup for my Lady." He set his porcelain cup down, and his expression turned serious again. "Now. I wanted to talk to you about your time at the Academy."

I squirmed in my seat at the mention of it, and he hesitated. "I understand that it may not be a pleasant topic to broach. Having been there myself a long time ago, I can understand."

I wasn't entirely shocked to hear this.It made sense that he would have studied at the Academy, given his immense magical power. "I kind of figured that out. Your mastery over Defensive applications of magic is nothing to be scoffed at. I take it that you were the one responsible for the lock on my door?"

Alder's glasses seemed to glint with light for a moment. "You're quite perceptive. Is there anything else you've figured out?"

Hesitating a moment, I wondered how much of my own observations I wanted to share with the butler. Given that we were already sitting down to lunch, and hopefully I'd be working with him soon, it would be a good idea to share my thoughts with him. "That you, Lady Azalea and Lilia are Wild Mages, and are more than likely responsible for the disappearances of the travelers."

Despite the whirlwind of activities the past few days, I'd been keeping a close eye on things. Alder's expression was fixed intently on me, searching for my next move. "And what do you plan on doing with this knowledge?"

I took another sip of my tea, and exhaled slowly. "Nothing, really. I have no loyalty to the Academy, and given your status as Wild Mages, I can surmise a myriad of reasons why you wouldn't want people poking around. The only question I have is... what's happened to those travelers?"

A heavy sigh escaped the Butler's lips as he leaned back in his chair, and took another sip of his tea. "Most of them decided to settle down in Edgeville, or move on to lands beyond the Empire. It shouldn't surprise you that many pass through here only to escape the Empire shortly thereafter."

I nodded, and took another sip of tea. "And I suppose that you help with those efforts?"

He nodded in kind. "We do, and we take a lot of pride in our work. Hence you can see why we'd be apprehensive about your arrival."

"No arguments here."

Alder nodded and smiled. "I'm glad you're so reasonable, I'd hate to have to apprehend someone who was in the same circumstances as I was at your age."

I tilted my head again. "You mean being a fugitive from the Academy?"

The old butler chuckled again. "That, and not being comfortable with one's assigned gender."

A few moments passed, and then my eyes opened wide in realization. "You mean-"

"Yes, I'm like you, Iris."

Violet_Velvet

Felt inspired to whip up this chapter really quick, thank you for reading it! I hope you're all having a lovely day!